Fired government officials from the Department of Justice puzzled over the reasons for their dismissals and contemplate possible alternatives
In a surprising turn of events, Jill Anderson, a career Senior Executive Service (SES) employee and the General Counsel of the Justice Department's Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR), was fired just three hours after President Trump was sworn into office.
Anderson, who served in government for 25 years, joining the Justice Department in 1999 as a staff attorney, had been ready to aid the Trump administration in instituting change in her capacity as general counsel. She described her job as political appointees bringing potential policy changes to her and explaining litigation risks.
The firings, which also included the Office of Policy Assistant Director Lauren Alder Reid, Deputy Director Mary Cheng, and Chief Immigration Judge Sheila McNulty, were signed by acting Attorney General James McHenry. It is worth noting that McHenry had previously hired Anderson when she joined the SES.
The EOIR executives, like Anderson, were equally shocked by their sudden dismissals. Within an hour of being notified, Anderson was shut out of all computer systems, and her phone was wiped.
The memorandum that led to the dismissals did not create new firing authorities but designed a new oversight system for hirings and performance reviews of nearly 9,000 SES members. Trump signed a presidential memorandum emphasizing that career SES members must adhere to the administration's policies.
Career senior executives, unlike political appointees, do not serve at the pleasure of the president but are entitled to protections against politically motivated personnel actions. Anderson assumed the worst that would happen to her is a reassignment, but she and her colleagues were fired instead.
Marcus Hill, president of the Senior Executives Association, stated that the Trump administration should rely on SES members to design and deliver effective policies. However, the events surrounding Anderson's dismissal have raised questions about the administration's approach to managing career executives.
Officials at the DOJ did not respond to a request for comment. The name of the current Deputy Attorney General who enforced the dismissal of Jill Anderson and other EOIR leaders is not explicitly mentioned in the available search results.
In the weekend before Inauguration Day, Anderson spent her time working on a legal brief related to the decertification of a federal employee union. The form containing her dismissal notice referenced "Title II of the Constitution," which outlines the powers of the president.
This incident marks a significant event in the transition of power and raises questions about the role of career executives in the implementation of new administration policies.
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